Auto-pause
OmniLead pauses a sequence automatically when its bounce rate reaches 5%. Here's why, what you'll see, and how to resume safely.
Auto-pause is a circuit breaker. When a sequence's hard-bounce rate reaches 5%, OmniLead stops sending from it before the damage reaches your domain's reputation. You decide when it's safe to start again.
Why the threshold is 5%
A healthy cold-outreach list bounces under 2%. At 5%, something is wrong with the list: an old import, a segment of unverified addresses, a domain that shut down. Every further send to that list lowers your sender reputation, and a damaged reputation affects all mail from your domain, including your everyday email. Pausing early costs you a few hours. Not pausing can cost you weeks.
How it works
- The bounce rate is hard bounces ÷ emails sent for the sequence. Soft bounces, such as a full mailbox, don't count.
- The rate is recalculated as bounces arrive, so the pause happens within minutes of crossing the threshold.
- Only the affected sequence pauses. Other sequences, and the mailboxes themselves, keep running.
What you'll see
When a sequence pauses:
- Its status changes to Paused: bounce rate 5% in Sequences.
- The sequence's owner and workspace admins get an in-app notification and an email.
- Emails that were queued stay queued. Nothing is lost, and nothing sends until you resume.
- Replies keep arriving in the inbox as usual.
Recover and resume
Open the sequence
Go to Sequences and open the paused sequence. The banner at the top links to the bounces.
Look at the bounces
Open the Activity tab and filter by Bounced. Check the bounce reasons, such as
5.1.1for unknown users.Find what they have in common
Group by list, import, source lens or verification status. Bounces usually come from one segment, such as an old CSV import or a batch of Catch-all addresses.
Remove or re-verify that segment
Select the leads that haven't been sent to yet from that segment and choose Remove from sequence, or Re-verify to check them again.
Resume
Click Resume. OmniLead asks you to confirm that you've reviewed the bounces.
If it pauses again
If the bounce rate stays at 5% or above after you resume, the sequence pauses again. That's a strong sign the remaining list needs work. Re-verify every unsent lead, or split the sequence and send to Valid addresses only.
Workspace-level protection
Auto-pause works per sequence. OmniLead also watches your whole workspace. If bounces or spam complaints spike across all your sending, the workspace's sending is suspended pending a review by the OmniLead team, and admins are told why. This protects your domains and everyone who shares email infrastructure with you. Contact support from the help panel to request a review.
Can I turn it off?
No. The 5% threshold can't be raised or disabled. It exists to protect your domain, and a rate that high always means something is wrong with the list.